Baptist Health in LIttle Rock is the first hospital to agree to offer this test to patients.

Author:
Erika Ferrando

Published:03/03/18

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - We all know the more cancer progresses, the harder it is to fight. That’s why cancer researchers in Little Rock have made it their mission to find ways to detect cancer early.

Scientists at Stage 1 Diagnostics developed a simple test that doctors will start offering.

"My goal is to make cancer detection more possible," said Dr. Blake Johnson, Lead Scientists at Stage 1 Diagnostics. “It’s very treatable, its very manageable, if its caught early enough."

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His team has developed a test that will detect cancer at an early stage.

"Not only is this test going to allow people early detection, but it will also allow them a better insight into the makeup of the tumor and potential for the tumor to become metastatic which is the most lethal form of cancer," said Johnson.

He's discovered a protein produced by tumor cells called Hepsin. Using a simple blood draw, it will show high levels if a tumor is present.